The Pokémon Compay Releases Japanese Pokedex iOS App

Japanese iOS devices can now tap and touch into the world of Pokémon with a newly released mobile app.

Crazy things are happening in the smart phone space, namely a Pokémon app that isn’t a totally cheap blatant copycat. It’s the real McCoy peeps, and is already available through the Japanese iTunes App Store.

For the universal price of 170 Yen ($2 USD) Pokémon’s tried-and-trusted encyclopedia comes to iPhones and iPads with Pokedex for iOS (website link), an extensive, searchable database and 3D models of almost every mini-monster up to date.

There are even add-on packs, pricy 500 Yen ($6) ones in fact, which broaden the included list of Pokemon to feature types found in earlier games in the series.

It’s quite similar to the Nintendo 3DS’s Pokedex 3D Pro app released last year, which is because that’s exactly what it is, a direct port of that. Lazy? Yes. But a smart idea? You bet your pretty ponies it is.

The heck with pride and tossing a few publishing rights bucks to a attention-stealing rival (in this case Apple), you would be fired right into deep space for not having an app of some sort on currently one of the biggest mobile platforms around the world (also in this case, Apple.)

Certainly, Nintendo sees the writing on the wall with its latest console, the Wii U. Reportedly, the company and rights-holder to the money-printing Pokémon property (although it’s their subsidiary The Pokemon Company who’s published this Pokedex app independently), will be offering a mobile app that directly ties to their online gaming service, i.e. Nintendo Network, in the coming months.

As for real Nintendo games on iOS platforms, be assured Nintendo faithful that no such thing will ever happen. Oh, but those 99¢ cent Mario knock-off clones, though? I’m sure there’s one about to be pushed through without so much a bat of an eye onto the App Store as I speak.

I do wonder though when we’ll see an English-language version of Pokedex for iOS. Heck, I’d be really surprised if they just kept it in Japan; anything Pokémon-labeled is instant money here in the states, especially on an iPhone. I guess it’s just a matter of when.